The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for transporting and otherwise manipulating sheets, especially discrete stacks of paper sheets or the like, between producing and processing machines, for example, between a single producing machine and several processing machines. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in a method and apparatus for transporting stacks of paper sheets or the like from a producing machine which turns out rows of aligned stacks to at least one of several processing machines, especially packing machines for discrete stacks or for assemblies or arrays of two or more stacks.
Sheets or leaves of the type used for the making of note books, pads and like commodities are obtained by subdividing large sheets of paper into smaller sheets. Modern apparatus (production lines) for mass-production of such commodities employ devices which sever large sheets lengthwise and transversely, and the apparatus further embody means for assembling the thus obtained smaller sheets or leaves into rows of stacks which are ready for transport to processing machines, especially to packing machines. Such mode of making smaller sheets and of assembling smaller sheets into stacks contributes significantly to the output of the apparatus. In many instances, the capacity of a producing machine is sufficiently high to warrant its connection with several processing machines. It has been found that the conveyor systems which are used in presently known apparatus of the above outlined character are not entirely satisfactory, especially in the event of temporary stoppage of a processing machine, because the conveyors cannot properly transport the entire output of the producing machine. Consequently, stacks of sheets which are intended for delivery to the arrested processing machine accumulate in the region between the producing and processing machines and are likely to obstruct the transport of stacks to the running processing machine or machines or to interfere with removal of all stacks of successively produced rows from the producing machine. As a rule, the conveyors transport stacks along several paths, each of which terminates at the receiving station of a discrete processing machine.